√Determine whether the source is relevant. Will the source help you accomplish your purpose and address your readers' needs, interests, values, and beliefs?
√Determine whether the source provides evidence and uses it appropriately. Is enough evidence of the right kind offered? Is evidence used fairly, is it convincing, and is its source provided?
√Learn about the author of the source. Ask whether the author is knowledgable. Try to determine the author's affiliation and consider how the author's biases affect the agruments, ideas, and arguments in the source.
√Learn about the publisher of the source. Try to locate information about the publisher, and reflect on how the publisher's biases affect the information, ideas, and arguments in the source.
√Think about the timeliness of the source and its impact on and relevance to your project.
√Consider the comprehensiveness of the source and its impact on and relevance to your project.
√Consider the genre of the source and its impact on the kind of information included in the source, the manner in which information is used by the author, and the likely audience for which the source was written.
Source: Palmquist, Mike. The Bedford Researcher, 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2009. Print.
The PJC writing lab is available to assist you! The writing center is located in the administration building in room 125 (at the end of the English hall).
Hours:
Call the Writing Center at 903-782-0314 for more information.